Guiseppe's Garden

Some buildings arrive with a personality so fully formed that the garden’s job is simply to honour it. Giuseppe’s House, a 1960s Fremantle landmark built by an Italian family who called it home for over sixty years, is one such building. When architect Kate Fitzgerald of Whispering Smith acquired and sensitively restored it, the approach to the garden followed the same guiding principle as the architecture: go gently, and let the existing character lead.

Working within a heritage context of this kind asks something particular of a landscape designer. The planting design called for a light touch, one that would soften the garden’s edges, add texture and movement, and complement the warmth of the house without competing with it. Where the building speaks loudly in salmon brick, terrazzo and geometric stone ribbons, the garden offers something quieter in return.